It’s that time of year. The time of year when we celebrate the fact that it’s mid-summer by fireworks into the sky and “ooh” and “ahh” at them on our picnic blankets. It’s Independence Day time in the United States, which means fireworks, backyard barbeques, and time spent with family.
Humans have certainly done a great job of dazzling up the night with ever-advancing firework technology. When the fireworks experts pack gunpowder and the various explosive charges into the effects, they do so in very specific ways to create the spectacular shapes that you see. However, nature has a fireworks show going on all the time.
To help us celebrate Independence Day, here are five flowers that look a lot like fireworks.
Alliums
These flowers are actually part of the same family of plants as onions, scallions, leeks and garlic. However, there are many cultivars that are used for decoration. Due to the unique way that they grow, when the flowers emerge they look like fireworks exploding in the night sky. They come in a variety of colors such as blue, red, white, purple and yellow.
Asters
The very name of this flower indicates how spectacular it looks when open. It comes from the Greek word asteri, meaning “star.” At one time there were nearly 600 species of flowers that fell under the Aster genus. During the 1990s, however, researchers narrowed the results and today there are roughly 180 flowers still considered Asters. Despite the reduction, you can find a whole palette of colors in this family of flowers. When they bloom, you’ll surely think of summer and fireworks.
Gomphrena
Good for dry, sunny locations, gomphrena produces very small, tight bunches of flowers that bloom into spherical globes like you see here. They come in a whole array of colors if you’re really looking to put on a natural fireworks display including purple, pink, red, blue, white and orange. These are very popular for drying out and are often sold as dried flowers for decoration.
Roses
Of course, roses have to be in here. Yes, there are many roses that stay closed, but if you get one that opens just right, well, it looks just like those spectacular fireworks that you see on display on Independence Day. They also smell good and are the traditional flower for romance. These days there are many colors of roses and some of them, like the one in the photo, have multiple colors within one flower.
Sweet William
These low-maintenance flowers make a great addition to a garden or a cut flower bouquet. Because of their strong stem, they can last several weeks after being cut. love the sun. Though they don’t usually bloom the first year they are planted, the wait is well worth it. Sweet William blooms are vibrant in color — often red, pink, purple, or white.
So if you don’t want to head out to the local park to see the community fireworks display, you can lay out in your garden and just look at nature’s version. The colors are just as spectacular, but it’s a lot quieter.
